


Espresso and Peppermint

by flowercrowncurls



Series: Muke College Series [1]
Category: 5 Seconds of Summer (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Fluff, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-04-06
Updated: 2015-04-06
Packaged: 2018-03-21 02:40:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,188
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3674367
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/flowercrowncurls/pseuds/flowercrowncurls
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>“You aren’t suppose to sleep here you idiot,” Michael murmurs, eyes a little sleepy as he pokes Luke in the middle of the forehead.  Luke’s hands flail up on instinct, almost smacking him in the face, as he attempts to shove Michael away.  Luke’s attention gets caught up in the blue of Michael’s hair, confusion settling in.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Espresso and Peppermint

It’s sometime after midnight and words are starting to look more and more like symbols imprinted along the pages of his text book and there are more doodles in the margins of his notebook than actual words filling the pages. He has a half written term paper sitting open on his laptop, which he’s blatantly ignoring in favor of listening to the music blaring through his headphones and trying to keep his face from smashing into the wood table top. 

He doesn’t know why he bothers with the library. Maybe it’s habit or instinct at this point. Maybe he trudges halfway across campus in some lame attempt at actually being a decent college student. Maybe it’s because he has nothing better to do than pretend to study in the back corner of the library. Maybe it’s because he might actually fail his classes this semester if he doesn’t start getting his shit together. Maybe it’s because Michael works the overnight shift at the library cafe and he makes the best Caramel Macchiato Luke has ever had. 

It could really be any of those things, but it’s probably Michael. 

He should probably just pack his stuff up and drag himself back to his bed - his soft fluffy bed that is suddenly screaming out his name. But his limbs are heavy and his eyes are dry, and really he just doesn’t feel like moving. He wonders absentmindedly, looking around for a moment, if he could get away with taking a short nap. Just enough to get his energy back up. 

You aren’t suppose to sleep in the library, a rule Luke has always found to be a little ludicrous because what if you just need like a 20 minute power nap before you continue cramming - it’s not like you would want to take the 15 minutes to walk back to your dorm, sleep for 20 and then spend 15 more walking back again, where the logic in that? But it’s gotta be pushing 2AM by now and he doesn’t figure anyone is paying that much attention to him, or to anyone for that matter. Anyone crazy enough to still be in the library at this hour is probably nose deep in their own shit. 

He sighs to himself and pulls his laptop closer, attempts to actually finish his paper. He could go get more coffee, but he’s already had three cups and he isn’t even all that convinced they’ve been helping anyways. Not to mention he’d just get distracted by Michael. 

He thinks about the boy for a minute, actually contemplates just forgetting about his paper due tomorrow and going to spend the rest of the Michael’s shift with him, there aren’t many students hitting up the library coffee shop between the hours of 3AM and 6AM, and if they are they sure as hell aren’t going to be concerned with the barista talking to some other student. But he thinks better of it after a minute, he really can’t afford to ask for another paper extension, not when he’s already gotten three and he hasn’t even taken his midterms yet.

 

He’s jarred awake some time later by hands slapping over his shoulders, he barely bites his lip in time to keep in the girly scream that nearly escapes. Head tilting back he blinks up at the face looming over his own, shading his eyes from the obnoxiously bright lights of the library as he shifts back into consciousness. 

“You aren’t suppose to sleep here you idiot,” Michael murmurs, eyes a little sleepy as he pokes Luke in the middle of the forehead. Luke’s hands flail up on instinct, almost smacking him in the face, as he attempts to shove Michael away. Luke’s attention gets caught up in the blue of Michael’s hair, confusion settling in. 

“Why’s your hair blue?” Michael blinks at him and Luke just keeps staring back. “Wasn’t blue earlier.” 

“Yes, it was.” 

“Wasn’t.” 

"Luke yes it was."

"I'm pretty sure it wasn't."

“I think I’d know what color my own hair was!”

“Would you?” 

“Lucas.” Luke pouts for a moment, rubbing a knuckle over sleepy eyes before he reaches out for the boy’s hair. Michael skirts away easily, deep chuckle echoing slightly in the silence of the back corner of the library. Luke leans forward further, neck and shoulder and back aching something fierce, trying to get at the locks of hair - they look a little like candy in the harsh foreseen lighting and Luke just wants to touch. He shifts forward in his seat, almost crying at the pain that shoots up from his hips when he moves a little too far, too quickly.

Sleeping in the library is never going to happen again, he silently tells himself, never ever.

“Aren’t you ‘pose to be workin,” Luke asks after a moment, Michael’s hair forgotten as his words slur together around a yawn, confusion settling over his features. Michael rolls his eyes, slips into the seat across from the younger boy, dropping his chin against the table sighing in defeat but his eyes are filled with so much fond for the younger boy across the table. 

“It’s 6AM Luke.”

“WHAT!” 

“Quiet, this is a fucking library you dumbass!” 

“Fuck fuck fuck,” Luke murmurs, scrambling for his phone, nearly dropping the device in his rush to get it out of his pocket. He blinks unbelieving as 6:18AM stares back at him, a mocking brand across the face of his phone. He wants to cry for a moment, takes another to just breath and make sure he actually doesn’t start sobbing in the library because that’s just a little too depressing and embarrassing for him to handle right now. 

“Did you forget about an assignment again or something?” Michael questions, leaning closer to Luke’s face. Luke looks up, glares at the boy and barely restrains himself from elbowing him in the side of the head. He compromises and flicks his finger against Michael nose hard, smiling smugly as the other pulls back with a whine rubbing at his now red nose. 

“No. I didn’t forget…” Luke trails off when Michael starts to chuckle again. “I hate you.”

“Whatever, you know that’s a lie.” Michael replies instantly, Luke slumps down into his chair, pout settling over his mouth. He does hate Michael, a little bit, but mostly he doesn't. “Oh come on you big child, I’ll help.” 

Luke slaps Michael’s hands when the boy reaches for his laptop. Michael looks offended for a moment, face slipping into annoyance as he pushes Luke’s head back in retaliation. Luke returns the glare, reaching out for the other’s hair and laughing in triumph when Michael is immediately flinching away from his grabby fingers. 

“Last time you helped was a disaster,” Luke says in way of explanation, Michael just continues to glare. “So I think I’ll pass on your offer, thanks.” He pulls his laptop towards him, fingers tapping across the keys without a thought. 

“It’s not MY fault you didn’t fully explain what you meant.” 

“I’m not sure how you could have ever thought that would be okay,” Luke says, only half paying attention to the other. Michael huffs, leans back in his chair and stares at Luke out of the corner of his eye. "In any context, that was NOT an okay topic for a fucking college paper." 

“You sure are cursing a lot," Michael mumbles, leaning back further in his chair when Luke glares up at him. 

"Must mean I'm spending too much time with you," Luke replies. 

"And, in my defense you said you had to write up a mock advertisement for a service provided to a specific market. You said that you had to base it off the market you’d previously chosen to define in your last assignment. You then told me your ‘Market’ was young adult men - Ranging from ages 18 to 30!” 

“But who the fuck would write about prostitution for a college paper? I’m pretty sure Professor Corale took offense to the whole thing. I'm surprised she didn't just flat out fail me right then.” 

“Well… I mean, it does fit the -”

“Just shut up, there is nothing you can say that will ever make that right. Never. Ever. EVER.” 

“You should have edited the paper before handing it in then!”

“I didn’t think you were going to write about PROSTITUTION! I can honestly say that thought never even crossed my mind”

“This is a library,” Michael urges quietly, looking around. “And for your information - Prostitution fit your target market criteria perfectly.”

“It’s like 6 in the fucking morning, there is no one stupid enough to be here.” 

“Did you just call yourself stupid?”

“I called you stupid, stupid.” It’s such a 5th grade thing to say, but Luke is too exhausted to actually think of comebacks. He stares at his still mostly unwritten paper in despair, it’s due tonight by 8PM and he still has 6000 more words to come up with. Michael huffs crossing arms over his chest. “Can you take notes for me today, I don’t think I’ll be going to lecture?” 

“Oh, I was going to sle-” Michael trails off, turns in his seat to look at Luke as the boy yawns, jaw cracking with how wide his mouth splits. His fingers sliding over his keyboard almost mindlessly, eyes a little unfocused around the edges already. “Yeah, I can.”

“Thanks Mikey,” Luke looks up for a minute, smile splitting across his mouth, eyes curving and Michael’s heart leaps in his chest, cheeks coloring slightly as the boy leans over the top of his laptop to presses their mouths together quickly. 

Michael coughs as the other pulls away, face now a bright red as he looks anywhere but at the other boy. He shifts back from Luke, angling his shoulders away and completely missing the way Luke’s entire face falls. The younger boy frowns for a minute, entire face pulling down, before he’s brushing it off and turning back to his paper. 

“Luke -“ Michael calls softly a few minutes later when he finally looks at the other boy, can tell he’s upset by the way his shoulders are tensed up and his fingers are almost smashing into the keys as words fill up the word document quickly. The boy’s face is half hidden by his snapback, but Michael can see the deep downturn to the corners of his mouth. 

“You should go take a nap before class.” Luke cuts him off, eyes trained on his screen as he never pauses in his typing. Michael sighs, shifts slightly before pushing away from the table and getting up. He starts to walk away, hesitates a few steps away when he hears Luke sigh and stop typing. He looks over his shoulder to see the boy lifting the hat off his head, rubbing a hand down his face as his shoulders curl forward. 

Luke looks like the perfect picture of defeat, something squeezes tightly around Michael’s heart. 

He bites at his lip, shifting on his feet before stalking back over to the other. He presses his hands against the boys cheeks and tips his head back, leaning down to block out the harsh lighting of the library. Luke is sputtering in confusion as Michael smashes their mouths together a little too harshly, head bent oddly as he tries to keep himself balanced on the chair. His arms flail at his sides and Michael barely manages not to laugh into the other’s mouth. He pulls back slightly, fixing the angle so their mouths fit a little better and softens the pressure so as not to actually bruise Luke. 

It takes a few seconds but then Luke’s mouth is moving along with Michael’s, soft little sounds pulling from the back of his throat as he slides his hands over the boy’s neck. Luke’s hands snap out curling around Michael’s wrists, tightening when the boy bites at his lipring before dragging his tongue over the cool metal. Michael tastes sharp and bitter like espresso, but there’s a underlying flavor of peppermint and Luke thinks for a moment that the boy really needs to stop spending his entire shift making weird mixtures of espresso and syrups to stay awake all night. 

Michael eventually pulls back just far enough for Luke to draw in a deep breath, dark eyes fluttering open to look up at Michael. Luke’s pupils are blown wide, but he can see confusion swirling there among other things. They stay almost completely still, panting into each other’s mouth as their eyes remain locked together. Michael smiles softly, leans down to press one last kiss into the corner of spit slicked mouth before standing back up fully. Luke shifts in his seat, turning slightly, makes to get out of his chair. 

“Finish your paper,” Michael drawls, voice deeper than usual. Luke smiles then, soft little laugh bubbling out from his mouth. Michael shakes his head as Luke turns back to his laptop, fingers tapping across the keys once again, before turning and heading towards his dorm to get an hour of sleep before class, if he’s lucky.


End file.
